Let It Grow
by disneylover3212008
Summary: A series of one-shots inspired by the 2012 film version of The Lorax.
1. Chapter 1

Marshmallows

Ted couldn't help but notice as Grammy pulled the bag of marshmallows out of the grocery bag and placed them on the counter. He had been waiting impatiently as his mom was outside fiddling with their tree- or at least what passed for a tree in this town. Now that Ted knew the truth he couldn't help but frown at every one he passed on his scooter during his drive. This wasn't how things were supposed to be, and he wanted to know why. He couldn't help but feel that this was bigger than Audrey now.

So when Granny grabbed the bag, he felt an impulse move him to put his hand on it. "Wait!" Granny turned to look at him, eyes full of curiosity. "It's… these are his favorite. And he has been trapped out there a real long time. Do… can I take these to him?" His Granny merely took a moment before letting go of the bag and scurrying outside by his mom. There was an exchange and he saw his mom sigh and move towards the back-yard. Granny gave a wink as she followed.

Soon Ted was in his helmet and speeding towards the pizzeria and the back alley. His Grammy had asked if Ted knew how to get a tree yet, but that was quite frankly at the back of his mind at this point. The Once-ler had promised the Lorax he wouldn't chop down any more trees, and he seemed like the type of guy who kept his promises. Where was the Lorax now anyway? Shouldn't he be in Ted's town telling the people what was right outside their walls. And why was O'Hare so determined to keep him from finding the truth out? Had he done something to the Lorax? That had to be it.

After a longer detour to get out of the city (O'Hare was really trying to make things complicated) Ted was speeding through the familiar desolate wasteland. He tried to picture what it once was based on the Once-ler's descriptions and at some moments he swore he almost could. He zoomed down the rock quarry and up the other side. He ducked and weaved under the blades with relative ease- thinking about how those sharp points could cut down a lot of trees.

And he stopped at the billboard staring up at what once used to be the man who now hid inside his house. Ted looked at the smile and his invention and knew this man couldn't have been as bad as he thought of himself. He was guessing he blamed himself for O'Hare coming to town and ruining everything. That had to be the answer.

So Ted pulled to a stop in front of the stones, the signpost, and the house. He pulled out the bag of marshmallows, ready to offer them to his mysterious companion who kept himself locked up inside that house. He wondered if it was the same house he had lived in with all his forest friends.

He wasn't doing this as much for Audrey anymore. She was still on his mind, but most of it was right here as he took his seat and waited for the Once-ler to finish his marshmallows. He was doing this so the Once-ler could fix things and forgive himself or at least see how this wasn't all his fault.

It wasn't until he sat on his perch and the Once-ler concluded his tale that he realized how much it would take for that forgiveness to become a reality. He had sat finishing the marshmallows as the Once-ler revealed a truth Ted hadn't expected. It wasn't O'Hare's fault. It really was the Once-ler's after all.

"So this really is all your fault." And despite that, he could hear the man's remorse and shame. It made Ted even more determined than before as he looked over the UNLESS. He could fix things. There had to be a way.

Ted cared. Ted was the guy who cared. Not just about the trees… but about his friend.

_I absolutely love this movie. My sister however was angry that they changed it so that the kid (Ted) sought out the Once-ler for a girl rather than his own curiosity. My argument was that was at first. Especially by the end Ted seemed to realize that it was much bigger than that. So here that thought is in semi-coherent form. Enjoy and let me know if you have any ideas for other one-shots!_


	2. O'Hare Air

O'Hare Air

Aloysius O'Hare had looked up to the Once-ler since he was very small- how he had risen out of absolutely nothing to build an empire that just kept biggering and biggering. For a kid who had lost both his parents it seemed like a dream come true. He had applied to work there the moment he was old enough to get a job. Sure, it was just menial tasks here and there but he was working for the Once-ler!

Then is had all fallen apart. It had been the only time he had seen his idol in person was when he made the announcement that the factory was closing for good. They had run out of trees. Then he had vanished never to be seen again. They say he bordered himself up in his own home, but Aloysius had no time to pursue such theories.

He had come up with an idea. Thneedville was currently in a panic with the city plunged into pollution and jobs lost. People were talking about leaving. Everything the Once-ler had worked for would have been a waste. But as Aloysius saw his co-worker cough he knew just what he could do. He was going to become his own Once-ler.

It had been simple. He merely built a small purifier that connected to a jug of air and made a label for it- O'Hare Air. Then he started going door-to-door. They were shut in his faces. Then one morning about a week later a trailer had pulled up next to him.

"Excuse me sir. We seem to have gotten lost. We were trying to get as far away from this disappointment as possible and ended up here again." It was a woman with glasses and blonde hair. With her were two identical dim-wits, a short man, and a very large man. Then she noticed what was in his hand. "What's that you've got there?" she asked, looking at him over the rim of her glasses.

So he did his pitch. "Well, that's the greatest idea I may have heard yet! I might know how we can get things started. You see, I have a large fortune. But, a larger one is always better. How about I invest in your idea if you let me in on it?"

"Why would you do something like that? The kid seems like a nobody," the large man interjected from the back.

"It's not about who he is," the woman smiled. "It's about who he can become." O'Hare felt like this was the first person in his life who thought that. This was the first person who believed in him. "So do we have a deal… son?" The word sounded great coming out of her mouth.

He smiled eagerly and had tried to shake her hand (he couldn't reach). "It's a deal!"

So O'Hare Air was born. First, they had made the purifiers and given them out for free to everyone. Soon, everyone needed refills on their clean air so they were in business. That was when his partner had another idea. They could make sure everyone stuck around if they made the town look better- made it so that no one ever wanted to leave.

They covered up all the dirt and built huge walls. They pumped out the sludge that had been created. They made artificial trees since his partner had assured him the real thing brought nothing but trouble. They had been the downfall of his idol. They would be a disappointment. O'Hare couldn't really remember them. Factories started to develop as more people moved in to experience all the fun things O'Hare had built. He wanted everyone to love it. He wanted the Once-ler to be proud of how he had further developed his town.

His partner and her family wanted more though. They pushed him further and further, she was saying he was like the son she never had. She loved what he was doing. She was proud of him. These things sounded great to O'Hare. So he kept going.

He didn't know exactly when he figured it out, but it changed everything. He found out the people he had come to love as a family were the Once-ler's. He thinks it may have been from a comment the Aunt made (Yeah, apparently she was a woman). They were the very people who had driven him into the ground. They were using him, just like they had their own son. They didn't really care about him. Well… O'Hare was determined his story wouldn't end the same way.

It was almost too easy. He offered them as much money as they could stuff in their trailer for their part of the company if they left and never came back. Either that or they stay with him as his guests. They could still be his surrogate family. They took the money and ran. No, they said he would end up a failure and a disappointment, took the money, and ran. O'Hare had been betrayed by the people he had grown up to care about the most.

Thneedville changed after that. O'Hare was determined to keep everything perfect. So he made it so that people never left. He made cameras to make sure he knew who he could trust- not that he ever trust anyone anymore. Nature was poisonous to his success. Though deep down he knew they lied to him about trees, his supposed family, he still remembered what they had done to the Once-ler. He was going to prove them wrong. He was going to keep biggering and biggering and biggering.

Aloysius wasn't just going to become like the Once-ler. He was going to become better than the Once-ler. Everyone was happy. Everything was perfect. He hadn't made the same mistake that stupid man Once-ler had. He would trust no one but himself with his company. He had everything he had wanted as a kid- everything he could possibly need. O'Hare Air was bigger and better than the Thneed ever was. Nothing could possibly stop him now.

And then Ted Wiggins happened.

_Yep, in my mind the Once-ler's mom is probably one of the most despicable characters I've ever seen. And from the few seconds we saw of O'Hare in the flashback he didn't actually seem that bad. Thanks for all the ideas! Keep them coming. I've got about a dozen of my own so this should keep everything going for a long while. Thanks for reading! _

_Next Time: Life of a Lorax Before the Once-ler Started Chopping and Hacking_


	3. I Speak For the Trees

I Speak For the Trees

The Lorax had always thought that the forest fire was going to be the worst he would see happen to the forest. Ever since he had become the voice for the tree the Lorax had lurked under the soil and yet somehow in another place all together. The whole thing was rather hard to explain. But when the fire had scorched through there and took a number of trees with it he had emerged and guided the animals to safety. He did his job successfully and thus was rewarded with returning to the ground for hopefully all time. The animals had helped him rebuild and everything was going to be fine. There were so many baby animals these days- including this Bar-ba-loot named Pipsqueak he had grown especially fond of. But he wasn't allowed to hang out unless there was a crisis. That had been the deal. That was his punishment.

The Lorax had been born different than any animal in the entire forest. He was not Bar-ba-loot nor Humming Fish or even a Swomee-Swan. And even when everything was silent at the quietest part of night he could almost hear whispering from all around him. He didn't know who his family was or where he came from. He was just… different. And he used this opportunity to whatever he wanted to. He wanted to see the world and have adventures. He had nothing to tie him down: no job, no responsibility, no family…

The other animals just naturally seemed to look up to him and follow his lead- not that he particularly deserved it. Then there was the moment that would haunt him for the rest of his existence. There was a large quarry that had a whole new forest on the other side. He wanted to see what was over there and managed to rope a few of the younger animals into following him for an adventure. They just had to climb down one side and up the other. They'd be home before dawn. Don't tell your parents though or they might try to stop them. As they crept through in the darkness he heard the whispers- frantic and pleading. He felt a tingle down his spine but shook it off.

Going down the first canyon had been easy enough and there were a few slips, but nothing serious. They crossed a small stream and started up the other side. And then the moment happened. A young Bar-ba-loot who had to be no more than three slipped and fell. Life moved in slow motion as he plummeted and the Lorax saw another reach out to him. Their hands never quite reached one another and the Lorax had to turn away as he hit the ground.

His parents were beyond consoling. The other animals were kept away from him. Even the whispers at night fell silent. The Lorax refused to believe it was his fault- blinded by grief and guilt. He went back down into the canyon to finish what he started. He climbed up and examined the forest that had once been on the other side only to see there was nothing special. It was the same.

He felt empty as he headed back. And then he slipped himself. He plummeted to the ground and everything went white.

"You were supposed to protect the forest," whispers echoed from all around him. "You were supposed to speak for us… keep us safe. You were supposed to keep him safe Lorax."

"No. No. I'm sorry. I didn't know that's what I was supposed to do!"

"It is why you could hear the trees. You have wasted your gift and spirit. Now-"

"I'm sorry! I'll do better! Please! Let me go back and fix this! Let me speak for the trees! I will do nothing else for the rest of my existence! It's not my time! I can't go like this!" The voices silenced in a hush and then one emerged as the light brightened.

"Will you accept remaining in this forest for all time in exchange for a second chance?"

"Anything! Anything!"

"Very well Lorax. Your life is now tethered to the forest around you. Only if it remains healthy and fruitful will you. You will guide during crisis and lead the animals the way you were meant to. Should you fail… and the trees die… you shall move on as well. Am I understood?"

"Yes. I promise." And then the light had vanished and he was back in the canyon. He had climbed to see all the animals gathering. The all looked at him curiously. He cleared his throat and spoke, "I am the Lorax. I will speak for the trees from this moment on."

And then he felt a pull. He felt himself be pulled down under the earth, yet there was no rocks and dirt. He was under the ground yet somewhere else entirely. And there he stayed, bound to have no more adventures and reckless behavior.

He emerged once or twice for minor emergencies and always vanished into the ground when he was done. But about a year after the fire he felt something new entirely- a scream echoed. One of the whispers was screaming in pain. He heard it fall with a thud. It was time. Something had happened. It was time for the Lorax to perform his duty. He heard the lightning strike as a force pulled him upward.

"Hey! Did you chop down this tree?"

_My goodness this one was difficult. Building an entire mythology is no small task- especially with this character- the KEY character. But I think the Lorax stuck around because the Once-ler stuck around obviously and part of him seemed to enjoy having him there. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Ideas welcome!_

_Up Next: Grammy Nora is old and has gray hair. She remembers when trees were everywhere._


End file.
